“I’m aware.”
“Your life is on the line.”
“Still aware.”
Her voice rises.
“And you didn’t even hesitate?”
“Of course I hesitated,” I snap. “For about half a second.”
She falls silent.
I rub the back of my neck.
“He wanted me to sabotage our run. Make it look like an accident so the betting markets go wild.”
“And you refused.”
“Yeah.”
Her gaze softens in a way that makes my chest tighten.
“You idiot.”
“I know.”
“You magnificent, stubborn idiot.”
That gets a real laugh out of me.
She steps closer.
“Bron.”
“Yeah?”
“You did the right thing.”
I blink.
“You’re not mad?”
“I’m terrified,” she says quietly. “But I’m not mad.”
“You could lose everything because of me.”
She lifts one brow.
“Bron Verak.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve been raising a half-Vakutan toddler alone for two years while juggling a job that barely paid rent. I am intimately familiar with risk.”
That makes me smile.
“You’re incredible, you know that?”
